The JellO Incident
by Chezza
Summary: Sequel to the 'After Dinner Activities'. Sam and Jack’s evening is cut short.
1. Default Chapter

Title: 'The Jell-O Incident'  
  
Author: Chezza  
  
E-mail: cyberchezza@tiscali.co.uk   
  
Status: Complete   
  
Sequel/Series: Fifth and final! (Unless I decide to write any more. I *may* - and I say again *may*- be persuaded to write an epilogue if anyone wants more...) - part of the 'Making Amends' series. Sequel to 'After Dinner Activities'.   
  
Summary: Sam and Jack's evening is cut short.   
  
Season: Three   
  
Spoilers: 100 Days   
  
Category: Humour/Fluff   
  
Characters: Jack O'Neill. Sam Carter. Jacob Carter.   
  
Pairing: S/J.   
  
Rating: PG13   
  
Warnings:   
  
File Size: ?   
  
Archive: Jackfic, Carterfic, Helio, Fanfiction.net, Gateworld, SJD, my site..... If anyone else wants it, just lemme know where you're taking it, so I can come visit.   
  
Disclaimer: Ain't mine! Surprise.... Stargate and it's characters etc, belong to all those folks who actually make *money* out of them. Any original stuff you may find in there is mine. Tho' sadly, it's unlikely to ever bring me any cash....   
  
Authors Notes: This was originally supposed to form part of 'After Dinner Activities', but the story seemed to be going on and on with no end in sight, so I decided to split it in two. The only thing to add, is that this is the penultimate story in the series. Although I am considering an epilogue set after 'Shades of Grey'.... That is if anyone wants one?   
  
As always, thanks go to dragonlady for the beta. Flames will be used to light Teal'c's candles not like *that*! Get your mind outta the gutter, f'cryin' out loud!. but constructive feedback (and criticism) is always gratefully received. Enjoy!   
  
(c) Chezza 2003  
  
~~~o0o~~~ 


	2. Chapter 2

~~~o0o~~~  
  
Sam frowned as an insistent noise penetrated the haze of emotional musings in which she was currently immersed. She lifted her head and looked around. She blinked when she saw the source.  
  
"Sir, that pile of Jell-O is beeping."  
  
He gave her a startled look and then looked where she was pointing. She was right. It *was* beeping. Reaching over, he pulled a face and stuck his fingers inside. Wiggling his hand around, his fingers brushed against a hard surface and grabbing hold he pulled the object out, only to find himself holding his cell phone. 'Euww, gross! How the hell did *that* get in there?!'  
  
Holding it between a finger and thumb he shook it vigorously, attempting to remove some of the gunk, then had to make a grab for it with his other hand, as it slipped from his grasp. 'It's never gonna work right again...'  
  
Grasping it gingerly, he ran his thumb over the screen and holding it up to the light, peered at the Caller ID. 'Oh crap.'   
  
Looking over at Carter, he said: "It's the base."  
  
Thumbing the Call Accept button, he forgot and pressed the phone against his ear. 'Ugh!'   
  
Yanking it away again, he pulled a face. Sam grimaced in reaction. 'Euww - Jell-O in your ear...'  
  
Holding it slightly away from his ear, he said: "O'Neill."  
  
Sam watched with interest as he listened to the person on the other end - she couldn't quite hear what was being said - and gave an occasional nod or "uh-huh" in response. The emotions flicked over his face. Guarded caution turning to annoyance, then a flash of surprise - which was followed by a large grin - and acceptance. Finally he said: "We'll be there in twenty", hit the Disconnect and put the phone in his pocket.  
  
She raised an eyebrow. 'So?'  
  
She needed to know what was going on.   
  
He grinned again. "You're needed on base."  
  
She sighed. Great. Just great. The first time she'd managed to get away from the place in three months and they wanted her back! Why was it everyone was always bitching at her to go home and then when she did, they called her back again? Couldn't she get even *one* night to enjoy herself? And people wondered why she had no life....she was severely tempted to tell them where to shove it.  
  
"Did they say for what?"  
  
The grin widened. "It's a surprise."  
  
Her eyes narrowed. "Colonel..."  
  
He laughed and held his hands up. "It is, I swear! I'm not allowed to say any more."  
  
She shook her head, knowing better than to push him any further. She could tell when he'd made his mind up about something and his current - rather mulish - expression, told her he wasn't gonna budge any further on this.  
  
"Guess I'd better call a cab." She said quietly, wondering whether any company would actually agree to take her, covered in Jello as she was.  
  
"No need." Jack said briskly, climbing to his feet and brushing his pants down. "I'll take ya."  
  
He frowned as the Jell-O stuck to his hand and he shook it violently, trying to get it to let go. Giving up, he wiped it back on his jeans. Only to be struck in the back of his head by a well-aimed shot of Jell-O. She couldn't help it. The look of total shock on his face made her burst into giggles.  
  
"Ay!" He yelled, spinning round to face the room at large. "Don't make me come over there and kick your ass!"  
  
There was a pause. She had to admit Sam mused, from where she was sat on the floor, he did cut a rather imposing figure. Obviously the Jell-O throwers thought so as well.  
  
"Sorry." Came the meek reply.  
  
"So you should be." Jack said and turned back round to face her, Jell-O falling off his back to land on the floor with a squelch.   
  
"You good to go?"  
  
Swallowing her giggles, she protested.  
  
"You need to get cleaned up!"  
  
She didn't know why she was nervous about having the Colonel take her - well, actually she did. And it wasn't just because of what had almost happened.  
  
Imagine the rumour mill if she turned up with her CO; both of them in civvies and covered in Jell-O. The base gossips would have a field day with that one - they'd probably have her being pregnant with his child by morning....  
  
"So do you."  
  
"Yeah, but I can do that at the base."  
  
"So can I."  
  
"But your truck - " she protested weakly, gesturing at herself.  
  
He laughed. "Not a valid argument Major, since I'm gonna make a mess of it the moment I sit down anyway. Come on Carter, I took you out this evening, I screwed it up - "  
  
She opened her mouth to protest.  
  
"Ah-ah!" He said waving a finger at her. "Don't interrupt. The least you can do is let me try and make it up to you, by escorting you back again."  
  
He looked down at his shoes. "Look, I know I haven't proved it very well tonight, but I can do the whole 'officer and a gentleman' thing if I try, you know."  
  
'Well since he put it like that....'   
  
Sam swallowed the lump that had appeared in her throat at his words.  
  
"Of that I have no doubt, sir."  
  
He raised his gaze to look at her and she looked steadily back.   
  
'You okay with this?' His eyes said.  
  
'Yes, sir.' she answered silently.  
  
And she meant it. If tonight had proved anything, it was that somewhere in the last three months, her feelings for him had definitely changed. When she looked at him now, she didn't see her friend and mentor who had always been there for her, these past few years. The man whom she looked up to, almost more than anyone else on the planet. The man who made her laugh. She didn't know what it was *exactly*, that she saw when she looked at him now...but it was definitely something more than it had been. It was...deeper. And that scared her. Because it changed things. It upset the status quo and she didn't know how to deal with it. Or even if she could.  
  
And if she didn't know any better, she'd say he was feeling something too. Which was a shock and yet...in a way, it was also comforting. He may not feel the same way as her - which wouldn't be difficult since she didn't have a clue how she felt herself - but at least it meant they were still friends, if nothing else. So long as that was the case, then they could deal with anything. Even - god forbid - inappropriate feelings.  
  
A look of relief flickered through his eyes. She smiled and held out her hand, letting him help her up. He squeezed her hand gently before letting it go.  
  
"Besides," he said slyly, "You did promise me the use of a shower..."  
  
She snorted as they walked towards the exit. "You'll have to wait until I've had my own, sir. Ladies privilege."  
  
He gave a mock sigh. "The sooner we get separate locker rooms the better. You'd think after three years in operation, they'd have got round to it by now...just make sure you don't use all the hot water."  
  
She laughed. "I won't sir, don't worry."  
  
They collected their jackets in silence, ignoring the smirk on the clerk's face at their appearance. Jack took great pleasure in shaking his arm a little and dripping Jell-O over the guy, as he handed over the ticket for their jackets. It was no less than he deserved. He was probably the only person in there who wasn't covered in the stuff. He was gonna get it big time when some of the more - inebriated - people found their way out.  
  
Sam chuckled. "That was a little unfair, sir."  
  
Jack sniffed. "He was laughing at me."  
  
"*I* laugh at you."  
  
"True. But I've already covered you in Jell-O."  
  
She blushed. She'd been doing that a lot tonight.  
  
They walked back to the truck.  
  
"Carter..." Jack said, breaking the sudden silence. "Have I got Jell-O in my ear?"  
  
~~~o0o~~~ 


	3. Chapter 3

~~~o0o~~~  
  
The airman on the sign in desk stared at her as a blob of red Jell-O slid down her arm, whilst she scribbled her signature, and landed with a plop on the page. She finished signing her name and held out the sign in sheet for him to take back. He didn't move to take it. Beside her, Jack cleared his throat and looked pointedly at the unfortunate airman. The man jumped and grabbed the clipboard out of her hand.   
  
"Sorry sir, ma'am. "  
  
Jack nodded, struggling to keep a straight face. He knew they must look one hell of a sight, covered as they were, from head to toe in multi-coloured blobs of Jell-O. A piece slid down a strand of his hair and landed with a splat on the floor. There was a strangled noise from the side of him and out of the corner of his eye he saw Carter bite her lip.   
  
'Oh God, they had to get out of here. He was gonna lose it any second...'  
  
"Carry on airman." He choked, grabbing Carter by the elbow and tugging her towards the elevator.   
  
Reaching it, he punched the down button hurriedly, not daring to look at his companion, in case he lost it completely.   
  
'Come on, come on...'   
  
With a loud ping the car arrived and he dived inside, pulling his Second after him. It was empty.   
  
'Oh thank God!'  
  
The doors swished closed and Jack doubled over in laughter.   
  
"Oh God - did you see the look on his face?!" Sam choked.  
  
He laughed even harder at Sam's words and shot a look over at her. She was leant against the wall, laughing so hard herself, that tears were running down her cheeks. His breath caught in his throat.   
  
'God, she was beautiful when she laughed...'  
  
He forced the thought away, along with the sudden images of pushing her up against the wall and kissing her. He was not going to go down that route *again* tonight! He couldn't - not and remain in control.   
  
Unaware of the path his thoughts had briefly taken, she continued.  
  
"And when - and when that piece fell out of your hair..."   
  
She had to stop, she was laughing so much. Her legs refused to support her any longer and she slid down the wall, leaving a trail of Jell-O behind her.   
  
The humour of the situation won out and Jack burst out laughing again at the sight, falling to his knees. "I thought his eyes were gonna bug outta his head!"  
  
The doors pinged and both of them looked up as they opened. Then they started laughing again.   
  
Sergeant Siler took one look at the hysterically giggling officers - 'was that Jell-O?' - and decided it was probably best if he waited for the next car. He stepped back and the doors shut again, as the elevator continued on it's way. Siler shook his head. 'To think the fate of the world was in these people's hands...' It was a scary thought.  
  
There was silence in the elevator for a second, then Jack and Sam exchanged glances and burst into laughter once more. Jack looked up at the level counter and realised they were nearly at their stop. He took a few deep breaths, trying desperately to regain his composure. Once he'd more or less got himself under control, except for the occasional snigger which kept forcing it's way out, he climbed back to his feet.  
  
He grimaced when his knee gave a loud pop as he straightened. 'Ow!' He hated when it did that. Reminded him he wasn't getting any younger.  
  
Sam winced in sympathy. "Ouch! Was that your knee?!"  
  
He nodded. "Yup. Does that some times. Too many years flinging myself out of planes. Hard on the old joints."  
  
"Now I know why Teal'c won't stand next to you, when you're warming up in the gym."  
  
Jack sniffed disdainfully. "He just doesn't like to be reminded of his own mortality."  
  
He held out his hand to give her a help up.  
  
"Thanks, sir."  
  
"No problem, Carter."  
  
The elevator reached their level and the doors opened. They stepped out.  
  
They were half way out of the door before Sam realised he hadn't let go of her hand.  
  
"Uh, sir?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
She looked down at where their hands were joined between their bodies. Jack eyes followed her gaze.  
  
"Oh!"  
  
He blushed and quickly let go of her hand.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"That's okay, sir." She said, feeling strangely bereft without the feeling of his hand in hers.   
  
"I just didn't want anyone getting the wrong impression."  
  
Jack quickly stuck his hands in his pockets to stop himself for reaching for her hand again. "Noo. Cos that would be - bad."  
  
Even if his mind was telling him it wasn't. He shook his head slightly. Probably a good job their evening had been interrupted. First he'd started the innuendos starting flying thick and fast - and what a very bad idea *that* had been, considering where it had led. Then he'd managed to go one better on the stupid front and nearly made out with her! In the middle of a public restaurant no less. Where *anyone* could have seen them. He didn't know *what* had possessed him to do that.   
  
Okay, he *did*. He just hadn't believed he'd ever let his supposedly 'strong as steel' self-control slip enough, for it to ever happen. Showed how lousy his focus was at the moment. Especially around her. He *really* needed to get a grip...he was damned lucky she was so understanding. By all rights, he should be being hauled up on harassment charges right *now*. And then - and *then* - as if that wasn't bad enough, he managed to top it *all* by walking out of the base elevator holding her hand! Holding her *hand* for cryin' out loud!   
  
Jesus, he was pathetic. Jack shook his head.  
  
God, he would be glad to get back in uniform. It might make things easier to deal with, because right now when he looked at her? All he could see was the woman who'd felt so *good* beneath him just half an hour earlier. Damn.  
  
Jack made a conscious effort to gather together all his less than appropriate thoughts and lock them away. Along with all the rest of the stuff he did *not* think about, *ever*. That was more than enough of that. For now anyway. He was gonna have to drag it out again at some point. It had thrown him so badly off balance, he knew he wouldn't have a choice. He couldn't *not* deal it. He needed to get things straight in his head again. Just...not right now.  
  
God, he really hoped he wasn't going to dream tonight. It didn't take an astrophysicist to figure out exactly what type of dreams they would be. Or their end result.  
  
And as good as that was, it always left him feeling vaguely sad and pathetic that it was the only way he could get any kind of action. It was one of the reasons he hadn't turned down Laira's advances. Yeah, so the alcohol had interfered with his thinking - it did have tendency to short-circuit his moral compass after all.   
  
But darn it. Laira was a good looking woman and he'd wanted some. Badly. He was only human for cryin' out loud! Just because he'd been celibate the past few years, didn't mean he was dead from the waist down. He missed having regular sex. A lot. Shame he couldn't remember a hell of a lot of it, but that was the consequence of drinking too much. Let that be a lesson to you children....  
  
He shuddered at the sudden thought of how things might have gone if he'd let himself get completely smashed tonight. He could see it now:  
  
'Yessir that's correct. I took my 2IC out to dinner, sir.'  
  
'And what happened then, Colonel?'  
  
'Ah well sir, then I got drunk and seduced her into having sex with me in the elevator, sir.'  
  
Oh yeah, he could see the impending court martial now....  
  
He caught Carter giving him a concerned look.   
  
'What are you thinking about?' it seemed to ask.  
  
'Oh you sooo don't wanna know the answer to that. No *really*, you don't.'  
  
He settled for a shake of the head. 'Nothing.'  
  
They continued walking.   
  
Carter kept looking around her self-consciously when the base personnel stared at them, as they walked past. Jack nudged her shoulder, trying to lighten both their thoughts.   
  
"Hold your head up and ignore them." He said.  
  
She gave him a puzzled look. He answered with a slightly smug grin.  
  
"You out-rank them. They can't say anything."  
  
She burst out laughing. After the signing in fiasco, it didn't take much to set her off.  
  
"Sir, that's *evil*!"  
  
He waggled his eyebrows. "Doesn't make it any less true though!"  
  
~~~o0o~~~ 


	4. Chapter 4

~~~o0o~~~  
  
Jacob Carter looked up at the sound of a woman's laughter and watched as his daughter entered the Control Room. Her head was turned towards her CO - who was walking into the room half a step behind her and grinning madly - as she laughed at something he said. Because her head was turned, she didn't see him immediately and he took the opportunity to study her, before she caught him doing so.   
  
He found it hard to reconcile the happy person in front of him, with the picture George had painted of a woman working herself to death, when he had first suggested that Jacob come and visit his daughter. Dressed in black pants and a red top, she looked good - even in the low light - and she seemed as... cheerful as he'd ever seen her. Watching the pair carefully as they laughed and joked, he wondered how much of her present good mood was due to the presence of the man beside her.  
  
'He is good for her Jacob, I have told you this.'  
  
'Selmak, we've been over this before. Please don't bring it up again. Not now.'  
  
The Tok'ra lapsed back into silence, letting him know that he wasn't happy with his behaviour. Jacob sent him a silent apology. But he simply wasn't ready to handle the idea that there was something more between his daughter and her CO, than a working relationship and simple friendship. He didn't know how to deal with the idea. Hell, he didn't know if he *could* deal with the idea....  
  
So he simply stood there and watched as O'Neill looked up and saw him. A wide grin split the man's face and he tapped Sam on her shoulder. She looked up at him.  
  
"Hey Dad!" He called, pointing across the room with the hand that had got her attention. Her head whipped round and a huge smile of her own split her face.  
  
"Dad!"  
  
In a few strides, she was across the room and in his arms.   
  
"Hey kiddo!" He said, giving her a big hug. Hmm...now that she was close to him, he could tell she'd lost a bit of weight. She'd always been skinny, but now she seemed almost fragile in his arms, as if she'd break in two if he hugged her too hard. He felt her chuckle against him.   
  
"I'm not gonna break, Dad." She said, her voice muffled against his chest.  
  
He sighed. 'Found out again. She always knew. Just like her mother....'  
  
He hugged her tighter for a minute and then let go. Or at least he tried to.  
  
'What the - ?'  
  
Tugging harder, he managed to peel his arms away from her back with a tearing sound. Placing her hands against his chest, she pushed and the cloth of her top stretched between them and then pulled free with the same noise.  
  
Looking down, he found himself now covered in lots of small sticky blobs of various colours. It looked like...Jell-O?  
  
He looked up at his daughter. She was staring at him with a sheepish expression on her face.  
  
"Sam?"  
  
She blushed. "Sorry about that, Dad."  
  
There was quiet snigger from beside them that was quickly turned into a cough, as Sam glared at her CO.  
  
Looking over at him stood there with his hands in his jeans pockets, Jacob realised that he was covered from head to foot in Jell-O as well - just like Sam.  
  
'What the hell had they been doing?'  
  
"Why are you covered in Jell-O?" He asked the obvious question, addressing both of them.  
  
They avoided his gaze, staring down at their shoes like a pair of kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.  
  
"Well?" He asked again, utilising the 'I'm waiting' tone of voice used so often with recalcitrant children. Being a parent had it's advantages.  
  
Jack cleared his throat. "Uh, well Jacob - it turns out tonight was the 10th Annual Jell-O Free-For-All at Jo's Jell-O Emporium."  
  
Jacob blinked. "You took my daughter to a Jell-O fight? I thought you were going to dinner!"  
  
Jack cast a sideways glance at Carter Junior. "Well actually, she took me, sir."  
  
Sam sent him a filthy glance. "You drove, sir."  
  
"But you were the one who knew where we were going."  
  
"You're the one who wanted dessert."  
  
"Yeah, but it was your idea. "  
  
"I didn't know it was going to be a 'Free For All' did I? I just thought you'd like some Jell-O after having had none for three months! Besides, you weren't complaining earlier - "  
  
"Alright!" Jacob intervened. He was starting to get that niggling feeling that signalled the start of a headache.  
  
"It doesn't matter. Just so long as you had a good time Sam."   
  
He didn't miss the glance they shot each other.  
  
"Oh yeah." Jack grinned.   
  
"It had it's moments, Dad." Sam said her eyes sparkling as she gazed back at her CO. Jacob didn't miss Jack's slight flush in response to her words.   
  
He shook his head. 'What was he going to do with those two?'  
  
'Give them your blessing?'  
  
'Selmak...'  
  
'What? Just because you are in denial.'  
  
'No I'm not.' Jacob thought back firmly. 'De Nile is simply a river in Egypt.'  
  
There was a pause then Selmack said: 'Mother of all Tok'Ra, Jacob! That was *terrible*! Even for you...'  
  
"So Jack, I hear you took a little unscheduled vacation. Glad to be home?" Jacob asked, ignoring his constant companion's indignant complaints - there was *nothing* wrong with his sense of humour - and changing the subject.  
  
"Ya sure ya betcha." Jack answered cheerfully. "All thanks to Carter here."  
  
Jacob didn't miss the affectionate look he exchanged with his daughter.  
  
"Hence the...Jello incident."  
  
Unfortunately Selmak didn't miss it either.  
  
'Ooo...so that's *why* she was working so hard! It was to bring him home to her! How adorable!'  
  
'Selmak! Quit it!'  
  
Not for the first time, Jacob wished that Selmak hadn't spent so long in a female host. It had turned him into an insufferable gossip.  
  
'I resent that...'  
  
Jacob was beginning to feel besieged on all sides.  
  
"So Jacob," Jack continued, filling the sudden silence that had occurred whilst Jacob exchanged words with his in-head partner. "What brings you by?"  
  
Jacob shrugged. "I was in the neighbourhood. Thought I'd drop in and see how my favourite daughter was doing."  
  
Though it did seem he'd been worrying over nothing, even if it did make him wonder what he might have found if he'd arrived just a few days earlier.  
  
Jack turned to Sam. "Surprise!"  
  
"This is what that phone call was all about?"  
  
"Yes." Jacob said. "I couldn't get through to you on your cell phone, George mentioned that Jack had taken you out to dinner, to say thanks for getting him home - so I got someone to call him."  
  
Sam flushed. "Guess I must have forgotten to charge it up. Haven't had much use for it recently."  
  
She stepped forward, intending to give him another hug. "Thanks for stopping by, Dad."  
  
"Gah!" He said, hastily stepping back. "Don't you dare!"  
  
She stopped. "Oh yeah. Sorry, Dad."  
  
"Don't worry about it. Why don't you go get cleaned up? I'm gonna be around for a few hours yet, so we'll have plenty of time to get caught up on things."  
  
Sam nodded. "Okay Dad."  
  
"Let me know when you're done, Carter." Jack said.  
  
She frowned for a minute. "Dad, if it's alright with you, I'll go get my gear from the locker room and then go use the infirmary showers. I'll meet you in the commissary afterwards. Colonel O'Neill can use the locker room showers then, without worrying about me using all the hot water."  
  
She grinned cheekily, looking at her Dad's now Jell-O be-spotted clothing. "And if you go with the Colonel, Dad - he might even lend you some clean BDUs."  
  
Jacob glared at her. That man was definitely a bad influence on her.  
  
Jack looked at her. "You sure, Carter?"  
  
She nodded. "Yes sir."  
  
"That's great!" He grinned. "Thanks Carter."  
  
"That's okay, sir."  
  
With that they all walked out, leaving a wide-eyed and extremely confused Sergeant Davis in their wake.  
  
~~~o0o~~~  
  
"Oh and Jack?" Jacob said as they walked with Sam down the corridor to the elevators.  
  
Jack turned to look at him.  
  
"George wants to see you as soon as you're cleaned up. Something about vanishing paperwork?"  
  
"Doh!"  
  
The corridor echoed with the sound of Sam's laughter, long after the elevator doors had closed behind them.  
  
~~~The End~~~ 


End file.
